What is a prototype?

A prototype is a preliminary model of something. Projects that offer physical products need to show backers documentation of a working prototype. This gallery features photos, videos, and other visual documentation that will give backers a sense of what’s been accomplished so far and what’s left to do. Though the development process can vary for each project, these are the stages we typically see:

Proof of Concept

Explorations that test ideas and functionality.

Functional Prototype

Demonstrates the functionality of the final product, but looks different.

Appearance Prototype

Looks like the final product, but is not functional.

Design Prototype

Appearance and function match the final product, but is made with different manufacturing methods.

Production Prototype

Appearance, function, and manufacturing methods match the final product.

Prototype Gallery

These photos and videos provide a detailed look at this project’s development.

About

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported our Kickstarter campaign. Although we haven't raised the funds we need through Kickstarter we have secured funding from other sources and so will be supplying the RatMat soon. Please visit our website at http://www.hammertechltd.com/ for updates.

What is a RatMat?

RatMat is an innovative, humane and cost effective solution to protect property from pests.

It is a ground breaking innovation in pest control. Using the principles of an electric fence the RatMat tiles can be used to prevent pests from causing expensive damage to property such as cars and motorcycles. The RatMat is a safe, scalable and transportable rat repellent for cars which can double as a hard-wearing floor surface. It is a cost effective, long-term solution to prevent damage to property caused by rats and mice.

Research shows that 3.2 million British car owners have experienced some sort of rodent damage to their vehicles. Costs for repairs can run into the thousands and damage can potentially include life-threatening destruction to seat belts and brake pipes.

A RatMat has a long-lasting, low-maintenance system and is the first rat repellent for cars to use electricity or solar power, without killing or harming animals in the process. The interlocking tiles feature a conductive surface, made of pressed steel, and a robust, injection-moulded base. When a rodent touches the surface it receives an unpleasant shock from the dedicated power supply, which scares it away and prevents it from returning.

We have a prototype and evidence of it working (please watch the video!) and are now ready to bring it to market – see timeline for more information.

If you are a busy person, who values their time, property and safety – the RatMat will bring you peace of mind.

The one-off purchase of a RatMat will protect your vehicle for years to come – preventing damage which can cost many thousands and is often not covered by insurance. Many people have suffered several instances of damage.

As an example, a one-year pest control contract can cost up to £400 per year and doesn’t guarantee that rats won’t return to your property at a later date. Conventional rodent deterrents used by pest controllers, such as poison or trapping, have big flaws in the sense that it only takes one rat to be missed for the problem to continue. Even when all rats have been cleared from one particular area using conventional control measures, there is nothing to prevent more coming.

By purchasing a RatMat, which can be used with mains electricity or off-grid by purchasing a battery and solar panel, you are ensuring cost-effective and long-lasting pest control measures.

Our packages

We have created a selection of different packages to choose from, depending on specific need and the perimeter of the area that you are looking to protect. The robust tiles can be used across a threshold or under property and are ideal for garage floors. The more of the floor that is covered with RatMat, the greater the level of protection guaranteed.

To choose your package, calculate the area that you need to cover. Each tile measures 31 × 31 × 1.2cm and are inter-connectable. The tiles can be connected in any arrangement - not just those shown in the images. Simply calculate the area you need covering as a square (or rectangle) by measuring along each side (in metres). Multiply the numbers together to give the number of square metres and choose the smallest pack to cover this area. If in doubt contact us.

At launch, for those wishing to cover an entire floor area with tiles but don’t require all of the tiles to have electric capability, we will also be selling customizable PVC tiles that can be cut to size.

Packages

Limited early bird offers are available for each package – see sidebar on the right.

£5 donation for a thank you on the website and/or register your interest to be an initial supplier of the RatMat

£149 Complete Doorway Rat Repellent RatMat Kit – 4 tiles (31cm x 124cm) + edges + a mains energiser designed to prevent a rodent crossing a threshold into an area you wish to protect. If you know rodents are entering through a certain door, it can be protected using a strip of tiles across it. NB. this will be very effective at keeping rodents away but cannot be certain to protect the area that’s not covered by your RatMat. In the future, expansion packs will be available should further protection be required. We suggest only using edges on three sides when pushed against a doorway so a rat can't get past by walking along the edge against the wall.

Complete Doorway Rat Repellent RatMat Kit - Edges On Three Sides

Complete Doorway Rat Repellent RatMat Kit - Edges On Four Sides

£379 Complete Motorcycle Protection RatMat Kit – 24 tiles + edges + energiser. Covers an area of 2.3 square metres to suit a motorcycle of up to 2.1 metres in length when arranged in a 3 by 8 rectangle. Additional tiles will be available to purchase after launch, if required.

Complete Motorcycle Protection RatMat Kit

£599 Complete Car Perimeter Protection RatMat Kit – 44 tiles + edges + mains energiser to create a perimeter around your car when arranged in a 16 by 8 configuration. This will significantly repel rodents. If more protection is required after fitting this package, additional tiles can be purchased. Can alternatively be arranged to completely cover an area of 4.2 square metres, or a rectangle of 217cm by 186cm (with 2 spare).

Complete Car Perimeter Protection RatMat Kit

£1,499 Complete Small Garage Protection RatMat Kit – 128 tiles + edges + a mains energiser for those looking to protect a high-value item or prevent rats reaching an area for which a single episode of rat damage would be very expensive or greatly inconvenient, such as a valuable car or machinery, we would recommend covering the whole area under and around your property. This will give the highest possible level of protection. Covers a 2.5 by 5 metre area when arranged in a 16 by 8 configuration, covers any 11.5 metre square area.

£2,299 Complete Large Garage Floor Protection RatMat Kit - 200 tiles + edges + a mains energiser for people looking to protect a large garage or other area with a high value item where a single episode of damage by rodents would result in high financial costs or significant inconvenience. Examples would include robotic equipment or a computer system in a factory. Complete coverage of the floor gives maximum protection. Covers an area of 3m by 6m when arranged in a 10 by 20 configuration, or any 18 square metre area.

Complete Large Garage Floor Protection RatMat Kit

More? Contact us if you’d like to cover a larger area, ie a factory or storage area and we will create a bespoke package just for you.

About the project

We have spent six years researching and developing a humane rat repellent and came to the conclusion, very early on, that electromagnetic pulses would be very effective.

Once we’d developed the prototype we spent two years filming across five different environments. In that time, we only captured two episodes of rodent activity on the RatMats. We know that rodents were active in the area and our video footage shows the effectiveness of the RatMat on the occasions a rat did step on the tile. This was evidence that rats could sense the magnetic field around the flooring and were keeping their distance. During two years of use in the live field, there was not a single incident where food left on the mats was eaten by rodents - even when food was taken from nearby locations. The RatMat is 100% effective in deterring rodents from items placed on it.

To capture the film footage, we placed the RatMat directly next to the rats’ nest with a bowl of food at the centre only three feet away from the rat. Despite this, the rat did not approach the mat to attempt to reach the food for three days. When doing so it received a small shock and did not attempt to try again. The food remained uneaten until we removed it 25 days later. In the second incident caught on film, the flooring was in place for five months and the food remained entirely uneaten.

We have a prototype and evidence that it works and now need your help to raise funds to bring this to market. We want to give people and pest control companies the chance to humanely and effectively protect property from pests with RatMat. Any funds raised will be spent on factory tools and moulds to create our product including the bases and stamps for the metal inlay.

By supporting RatMat you will help us make effective, humane rat control a reality. If you believe in our project, please donate.

Thank you so much to FatCalf Media and Wild West Communications for their wonderful help with our project.

Using the RatMat

A long-lasting, low-maintenance system – a RatMat can easily be installed to protect a vehicle, garage, greenhouse, factory or expensive computer or robotic equipment. There are many ways the tiles can be used to suit your individual need, whether you work in a warehouse, in agriculture or with machinery.

As well as keeping rats away, the RatMat makes an excellent hard-wearing floor surface for garages, factories and warehouses. PVC is widely considered to be the best material for making flooring tiles as it is durable and resists impact and wear. Our tiles include compounds which are fire resistant and resist degradation by sunlight.

The tiles are powered by a compact energiser box (approx. 20 x 8 x 6cm) which is connected to mains electricity and converts the energy into a safe electric shock. The mains energiser boxes supplied with all packages are powerful enough to power half a square kilometer of tiles so you will not need to change your box if you increase your tile coverage. Solar-powered energiser boxes will also be available to purchase. The boxes are available with both UK and US plugs.

Each inter-connectable tile measures 31 × 31 × 1.2cm. The tiles can be connected in any arrangement - not just those shown in the images. Therefore, if you have a motorbike or dustbins you wish to protect, simply calculate the area you need covering as a square (or rectangle or any arrangement) by measuring along each side (in metres). Multiply the numbers together to give the number of square metres and choose the smallest pack to cover this area.

RatMat tiles need to be laid indoors, on a flat level surface – ideally cement or concrete. They can be laid directly on the floor and are easy to arrange and connect. The tiles are laid like normal PVC flooring tiles, using folded steel connectors (similar to the battery connectors in a mobile phone). After the tiles are laid they are plugged into the supplied energiser which uses around 2W of power.

The tiles may also work effectively outdoors but we have not yet tested them in this environment so we do not recommend using the tiles in this way. Once the product has been manufactured we will perform this testing.

RatMat tiles have eight connections per tile. The tiles are designed so that if one or two electrical connections fail, the tile does not stop working. If a tile does fail all other tiles will remain active. We can supply electrical testers, like the one shown in the video, through our website.

Notices: the law on electric fences state that a warning needs to be displayed at eye-level if the fence is used in an accessible area. We recommend a similar warning if the flooring is installed in an area where people other than yourself have access. These will be available on our website after launch.

Tiles cannot be cut but we will supply PVC blanks, without the metal inlay, from our website after the campaign if there is demand. This will enable you to cover the rest of your garage with matching tiles.

The tiles will conform to British Standard EN 14041. Trademarks, patent and registered design have been applied for.

Risks and challenges

We have worked hard to minimise any risks involved in this project, in order to make it a success. The flooring is fully developed and our prototype finished. The RatMat has been used extensively in real environments and is proven to be 100% successful at deterring wild rats and mice.

The RatMat has been invented by Dr Toby Bateson of Hammer Technologies Ltd. Design and development has been coordinated and managed by the team at Dufort Associates (industrial design consultants based in Cornwall, UK). Francis Dufort has over 40 years’ experience in product development and design. We know that the design of RatMat is the most effective that it can be, having extensively researched the project for six years and spent four years on the final design.

Our energiser boxes are designed and supplied by renowned electric fence manufacturers Hotline Electric Fencing, based in the UK. All items supplied are fully CE tested, for use in the UK as well as being tested to US standards. The boxes are available with both UK and US plugs. Hotline is a well-established company which has been trading since 1968 and makes high-end electric fence equipment of the highest quality.

Supply chains have been established with Intec International, a very large and capable factory in Hong Kong with over 20 years’ experience in manufacturing and 5,000 employees. The company has reviewed the CAD design files and have agreed costs to supply the tiles.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £199 or more
About $252

*Super Early* Car Perimeter RatMat Kit

Forty-four RatMat Electrified Tiles Plus Dedicated Mains Energiser, Edges And All Cables and Edges. Enough For A Standard Sized Car Or A Small Garage, 2.5m by 5m when arranged in 16 by 8 configuration. Creates A Protective Perimeter Around An 11.5 Square Metre Area. Includes Mains Energiser And All Cables. Can alternatively be arranged to completely cover an area of 4.2 square metres., or a rectangle of 217cm by 186cm.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £399 or more
About $505

*Earlybird* Car Perimeter RatMat Kit

Forty-four RatMat Electrified Tiles Plus Dedicated Mains Energiser, Edges And All Cables and Edges. Enough For A Standard Sized Car Or A Small Garage, 2.5m by 5m when arranged in 16 by 8 configuration. Creates A Protective Perimeter Around An 11.5 Square Metre Area. Includes Mains Energiser And All Cables. Can alternatively be arranged to completely cover an area of 4.2 square metres., or a rectangle of 217cm by 186cm.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £599 or more
About $758

Car Perimeter RatMat Kit

Forty-four RatMat Electrified Tiles Plus Edges And Dedicated Mains Energiser, Edges And All Cables. Enough For A Standard Sized Car Or A Small Garage, 2.5m by 5m when arranged in 16 by 8 configuration. Creates A Protective Perimeter Around An 11.5 Square Metre Area. Can alternatively be arranged to completely cover an area of 4.2 square metres., or a rectangle of 217cm by 186cm. Includes Mains Energiser And All Cables. Can alternatively be arranged to completely cover an area of 4.2 square metres., or a rectangle of 217cm by 186cm.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £999 or more
About $1,264

*Earlybird* Small Garage RatMat Kit

One hundred and twenty eight RatMat Electrified Tiles Plus Edges And Dedicated Mains Energiser And All Cables. Enough For A Standard Sized Car Or A Small Garage, 2.5m by 5m when arranged in 16 by 8 configuration. Covers A 12.5 Square Metre Area. Includes Mains Energiser And All Cables.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £1,499 or more
About $1,896

Small Garage RatMat Kit

128 RatMat Tiles + Edges + Energiser. Enough For A Standard Sized Car Or A Small Garage, 2.5m by 5m when arranged in 16 by 8 configuration. Covers A 12.5 Square Metre Area. Includes Mains Energiser And All Cables.